Tenant reopens Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena to public since renovations

The new tenant of the historic Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena, California, reopened the venue to the public Sunday after extensive renovations.

The Friends of the Rialto, a group that has served as a guardian of the theater, posted this message after posting 42 (!) photos from the open house:

On Sunday August 29, Mosaic Church opened the Rialto Theatre’s doors to the public for the first time in over a year. They have taken the time during the pandemic to do a major interior renovation. Friends of The Rialto was not involved in the process, so this is the first time we have seen it, and want to share with you some of the changes made.
While this is quite different it appears that they followed the rules. The vast majority of changes were made in a reversible way, so some future tenant or owner could change paint colors, uncover and restore original plater textures and details, and reinstall the raked (sloped) seating. The level floor was set up with folding chairs so the potential for using the Rialto for theatre or movies is there. In fact, the leadership approached me before the opening ceremony and suggested we meet soon to discuss collaboration. They are excited to open the Rialto for the community, we just need to figure out how that would work and what kind of programming they would be open to. Please stay tuned as we gather more information.
Thanks, Escott O. Norton, Founding Director, Friends of The Rialto.

Here are some details posted with the photos:

• The lights under the marquee are working again.
• The original box office was cleaned up.
• The lobby has new flooring.
• The original Batchelder tiles on the wall behind the water fountain were retained but the lower tiles, added in the 1940s lobby remodel, were replaced.
• The restrooms were renovated and improved.
• The stair railing to the balcony was repainted, but the design is inspired by the 1940s modernization that Friends of the Rialto replicated in the 1980s.
• The original entry doors were preserved.
• The original wood railing in the mezzanine was preserved and refinished.
• The upper balcony still contains the original 1925 seating, and the wood railing caps have were refinished.
• The seats in the lower balcony were in bad shape and removed, replaced with folding chairs.
• The original balcony railing was preserved and a badly done extension removed. 
• Details around the balcony exit doors were retained and repainted.
• Plaster cracks in the balcony ceiling were repaired.
• The winged harpy’s breasts have been covered by what looks like a breastplate, and a face in the center above the doorway was replaced.
• The original footlights were covered, as was the orchestra pit, but those original elements remain underneath.
• The Rialto gargoyle with glowing red eyes was covered up.
• The original murals with Arabian landscape scenes appear to have been covered. 
• Newer and safer exit stairs from the mezzanine and balcony exit doors were installed.
• The orchestra-level audience seating area was leveled, but no permanent seating was installed in that area.
• The original chandeliers under the balcony were restored and probably rewired. Its plasterwork was cleaned up and repainted.
• The original plasterwork around the firehose cabinet was repaired. The plaster stonework on the walls was covered by smooth plaster. “It sounds hollow so it looks like they furred out the new smooth surface, and the original texture remains underneath.”

And here’s the Facebook post with all the photos:

Comments on the post are mixed, with some accusing the owner or Mosiac Church of “whitewashing” the history of the building. Others commended the many repairs and restoration work that was done. It is irrefutable that without the new owner and tenant, the theater would be even more of a wreck than it was just a few years ago.

My take: Don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of good. I also remember a longtime Route 66 advocate who said he once was a purist regarding historic preservation, but no longer is now. Any sort of preservation is a good thing.

The Rialto Theatre, at 1023 Fair Oaks Ave., remains part of the original 1926 alignment of Route 66 in South Pasadena.

Built in 1925, the theater is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Closed in 2011, the theater had deteriorated enough that part of its marquee nearly fell off, endangering motorists and pedestrians.

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